The Honorable Ryan Zinke US Secretary of the Interior Department of the Interior 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240

Dear Secretary Zinke,

As a united group of 227 state legislators representing 17 coastal states, we are writing to you to oppose the Proposed National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2019-2024 (Proposed Leasing Program). This proposal seeks to exponentially expand oil and gas exploration, production, and drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico, which for many of us, represents the first time in decades our coasts would be exposed to such development. While these oil and gas reserves are technically recoverable, we urge you to consider the repercussions, as you have done so in Florida, to local and regional economies and ecosystems.

We are encouraged by your recent action to remove Florida’s coasts from the Proposed Leasing Program, a decision based on potential threats that offshore drilling would impose on coastal tourism, the recreational economy, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that depend upon it. Given that one state has been removed from the program, we strongly urge you to grant other states the same opportunity to protect their economy and coastal and marine resources.

Coastal tourism, fisheries, shipping, and defense are not only critical economic drivers in Florida, but are the underpinning of all U.S. coastal states. NOAA reports that coastal communities alone provide 45 percent of our nation’s gross domestic product. Furthermore, California, Oregon, and Washington combined represent the fifth largest economy in the world, a level of prosperity that would not be achieved without their ocean-dependent industries. It is clear that U.S. coastlines are a fundamental part of the nation’s economic activity and would be threatened by the offshore drilling plan.

Offshore exploration, construction, and drilling can damage marine habitats and injure or kill the animals in the surrounding area through direct impact and altering of light and sound environments. The significant impacts associated with offshore oil and gas development pale in comparison to the impacts associate with those of oil spills. Examples from across the country highlight the irreparable damage infringed upon coastal communities and ecosystems due to these accidents. After the Exxon Valdez oil tanker crashed in Alaska’s Prince William Sound in 1989, 11 million gallons of oil spilled

1 NOAA https://toolkit.climate.gov/topics/marine/fisheries-and-coastal-communities 2 TIME Magazine http://time.com/3748246/exxon-valdez-history/ 3 Columbia University http://bit.ly/2rlf3vh 4 TIME Magazine http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1986323,00.html

and polluted over 1000 miles of coastline. This spill decimated the environment, killing thousands of salmon, otters, and eagles, as well as a quarter of a million seabirds 2. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused over 40 spills and 8 million gallons of expelled oil. One of the most significant accidents during the hurricane was the Murphy Oil Refinery spill, which released over 1 million gallons of oil, contaminating flood waters and harming over 1000 adjacent homes 3.

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico alone – which resulted in 210 million gallons of oil entering the Gulf and caused billions of dollars in damage to local fisheries and tourism industries 4– provides ample evidence that accidents can and do happen. As these examples highlight, no amount of planning or resources could fully mitigate the harm done to animals, fisheries, tourism, and the economy in the event of an accident. However, the probability of these spills occurring only increases if U.S. coastlines are opened to offshore drilling under the Proposed Leasing Program.

The Proposed Leasing Program claims that these new oil and gas projects will create jobs and bolster the U.S. economy, but with the risk of spills, and the threats of exploration and production alone, the Program will ultimately hurt coastal economies’, and that of their entire states, more than it will benefit them.

Our coastlines serve as a significant economic driver that is entirely dependent upon healthy marine life and coastal ecosystems. Not only will offshore drilling hurt state economies, but this construction would also negatively affect diverse ecosystems and fishing and shipping sectors. Considering this threat to coastal ecosystems and economies, we oppose the Proposed Leasing Program and urge you to at least grant all coastal states with the opportunity to opt out of these leases. We are heartened by your exemption of Florida and hope you take our request into consideration. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Senator Kevin Ranker Senator Kevin de León Washington California

Assemblyman Thomas Abinanti Senator Ricardo Lara New York California

Representative John Ager Senator Susan Lee North Carolina Maryland

Senator Ben Allen Representative Chris Lee California Hawaii

Representative Sherry Appleton Representative Matthew Lesser Washington Connecticut

Representative David Arconti Delegate Robbyn Lewis Connecticut Maryland

Representative John Autry Senator Lynwood Lewis North Carolina Virginia

Representative Phil Barnhart Delegate Karen Lewis Young Oregon Maryland

Chairman Kumar Barve Delegate Brooke Lierman Maryland Maryland

Representative Paul Baumbach Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton Delaware New York

Representative Mary Belk Representative Matthew LoPresti North Carolina Hawaii

Senator Shenna Bellows Representative Nicole Lowen Maine Hawaii

Assemblyman Daniel Benson Delegate Eric Luedtke New Jersey Maryland

Representative Jennifer Benson Representative Nicole Macri Massachusetts Washington

Representative Lori Berman Senator Richard Madaleno, Jr. Florida Maryland

Representative Seth Berry Representative Sheri Malstrom Maine Oregon

Senator Andy Billig Senator James Manning Washington Oregon

Representative Deborah Boone Senator David Marsden Oregon Virginia

Delegate Jennifer Boysko Representative Pam Marsh Virginia Oregon

Senator Cathy Breen Representative Grier Martin Maine North Carolina

Representative Cecil Brockman Assemblymember Shelley Mayer North Carolina New York

Representative Robert Brown Senator John McCoy South Carolina Washington

Assemblyman David Buchwald Assemblyman John McKeon New York New Jersey

Representative Deb Butler Representative Susan McLain North Carolina Oregon

Senator Jeanine Calkin Senator Jeremy McPike Rhode Island Virginia

Senator Reuven Carlyle Senator Rebecca Millett Washington Maine

Delegate Al Carr Senator Dave Miramant Maryland Maine

Representative Lauren Carson Representative Howard Moffet Rhode Island New Hampshire

Senator Stanley Chang Senator William Monning Hawaii California

Representative Mike Chapman Delegate David Moon Washington Maryland

Senator Maralyn Chase Representative Marcia Morey Washington North Carolina

Representative Eileen Cody Delegate Dan Morhaim Washington Maryland

Assemblyman Herb Conway Senator Sharon Nelson New Jersey Washington

Representative Janice Cooper Representative Rob Nosse Maine Oregon

Representative Richard Creagan Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz Hawaii New York

Senator Julian Cyr Representative Lillian Ortiz-Self Massachusetts Washington

Senator Jeannie Dameille Representative Tina Orwall Washington Washington

Representative Matthea Daughtry Representative Ed Osienski Maine Delaware

Senator Michael Dembrow Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo Oregon New York

Representative Michael Devin Senator Guy Palumbo Maine Washington

Senator Manka Dhingra Representative Jennifer Parker Washington Maine

Senator Patrick Diegnan Retired Senator Fran Pavley New Jersey California

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz Representative Sarah Peake New York Washington

Representative Laurie Dolan Senator Jamie Pederson Washington Washington

Representative Susan Donovan Representative Strom Peterson Rhode Island Washington

Representative Michelle DuBois Representative Teresa Pierce Massachusetts Maine

Assemblymember Steve Englebright Senator Paul Pinsky New York Maryland

Representative Paul Evans Delegate Andrew Platt Oregon Maryland

Representative Julie Fahey Delegate Kenneth Plum Oregon Virginia

Representative Jean Farmer-Butterfield Representative Gerry Pollet North Carolina Washington

Representative Richard Farnsworth Senator Nicole Poore Maine Delaware

Representative Jessica Fay Representative Karin Power Maine Oregon

Representative Ryan Fecteau Representative Denise Provost Maine Massachusetts

Representative Dylan Fernandes Senator Floyd Prozanski Massachusetts Oregon

Representative Jake Fey Representative Ellen Read Washington New Hampshire

Representative Susan Fisher Delegate Kirill Reznik North Carolina Maryland

Representative Joe Fitzgibbon Representative William Richardson Washington North Carolina

Delegate Robert Flanagan Senator Chuck Riley Maryland Oregon

Representative Bob Foley Representative June Robinson Maine Washington

Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo Senator Christine Rolfes Maryland Washington

Senator Lew Frederick Senator Jim Rosapepe Oregon Maryland

Assemblymember Laura Friedman Senator Russell Ruderman California Hawaii

Senator David Frockt Honorable Rick Russman Washington New Hampshire

Delegate Barbara Frush Representative Cindy Ryu Maryland Washington

Mike Gabbard Representative Andrea Salinas Hawaii Oregon

Representative Cedric Gates Senator Rebecca Saldana Hawaii Washington

Speaker Sara Gideon Senator Adam Satchell Maine Rhode Island

Delegate Jim Gilchrist Representative John Schneck Maryland Maine

Representative Rosa Gill Representative Mike Sells North Carolina Washington

Senator Gayle Goldin Representative Tana Senn Rhode Island Washington

Representative David Gomberg Representative Bryon Short Oregon Delaware

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher Senator Troy Singleton California New Jersey

Delegate Wendy Gooditis Senator Bob Smith Virginia New Jersey

Representative Roger Goodman Senator Will Smith Washington Maryland

Representative Chris Gorsek Representative Frank Smizik Oregon Massachusetts

Assemblymember Richard Gottfried Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez New York Maryland

Representative Mia Gregerson Representative Janeen Sollman Washington Oregon

Representative Marty Grohman Representative Joseph Solomon Jr. Maine Rhode Island

Assemblymember Reed Gusciora Representative Derek Stanford New Jersey Washington

Representative Patricia Haddad Delegate Dana Stein Massachusetts Maryland

Representative Jim Handy Senator Steiner Hayward Maine Oregon

Representative Edward Hanes Senator Henry Stern North Carolina California

Representative Pricey Harrison Assemblymember Mark Stone North Carolina California

Senator Bob Hasegawa Senator Cynthia Stone Creem Washington Massachusetts

Delegate Anne Healey Delegate Rip Sullivan Maryland Virginia

Representative Jonathan Hecht Senator Scott Surovell Massachusetts Virginia

Representative Debra Heffernan Representative Roy Takumi Delaware Hawaii

Senator Robert Hertzberg Representative Gael Tarleton California Washington

Representative Natalie Higgins Representative Maureen Terry Massachusetts Maine

Representative Paul Holvey Representative Steve Tharinger Oregon Washington

Delegate Patrick Hope Senator Laura Thielen Virginia Hawaii

Representative Brian Hubbell Assemblyman Fred Thiele Maine New York

Senator Sam Hunt Representative Cynthia Thielen Washington Hawaii

Representative Patty Hymanson Representative Dawn Thomas Maine Washington

Representative Verla Insko Assemblymember Phil Ting North Carolina California

Representative Kristin Jacobs Representative Ryan Tipping Florida Maine

Representative Evan Jenne Representative Carlos Tobon Florida Rhode Island

Representative Aaron Johanson Representative Brian Turner Hawaii North Carolina

Representative Erik Jorgensen Representative Javier Valdez Maine Washington

Representative Ruth Kagi Senator Terry Van Duyn Washington North Carolina

Senator Karen Keiser Senator Eloise Vitelli Washington Maine

Speaker Pro Tempore and Rep Brian Kennedy Delegate Jeff Waldstreicher Rhode Island Maryland

Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer Representative Charlotte Warren Oregon Maine

Representative Christine Kilduff Senator David Watters Washington New Hampshire

Representative Shelley Kloba Delegate Vivian Watts Washington Virginia

Delegate Kaye Kory Senator Bob Wieckowski Virginia California

Representative John Kowalko Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins Delaware Maryland

Delegate Ben Kramer Representative Kimberly Williams Maryland Delaware

Senator Patty Kuderer Representative Mike Woodard Washington North Carolina

Representative Walter Kumiega Representative Sharon Wylie Maine Washington

Delegate Stephen Lafferty Delegate Pat Young Maryland Maryland

Delegate Clarence Lam Representative Stanley Paige Zeigler Maryland Maine

Senator Craig Zucker Maryland